This article is all about getting you playing Fate Of A Nation as soon as possible. In this article we use two Israeli Magach 6 tanks and three Egyptian T-62 tanks (you could conceivably use other tanks in similar numbers) and pit them head to head as they trade shots on the Sinai Peninsula. Get your tanks together, grab some dice, a tape measure and an opponent then follow the instructions in this article to play a simple game. Once you get the hang of the basic rules in this article, you can delve into the full rules and start playing larger, more detailed games.

Your First GameAfter assembling your tanks and gathering your terrain, set them up as shown in the game map to the right.

Game turns consist of four steps:

Starting,

Movement,

Shooting, and

Assault.

We will only need to worry about the first three at the moment, because tanks do not assault each other. In this game the Egyptian player has the first turn, getting to move and shoot all of their tanks. Then the Israeli player follows the same steps. Players will keep alternating turns until one of them has destroyed all of the enemy tanks.

Movement StepLet’s look at your tank card to find how far each tank can move .

Click on the card images to see a larger version.

Near the centre of the card there is a speed chart that shows the tank’s speed.

Tactical speed is the fastest you can move and still shoot. Moving will reduce your rate of fire (we will get into that more in the shooting step). You can cross terrain (such as rock walls) at your Tactical speed.

Terrain Dash speed is the fastest you can move while crossing terrain.

Cross-country Dash speed is the fastest you can move across open ground (as long as you don’t go through any terrain).

Road Dash speed is the fastest you can move when your tank’s entire move is on a road.

You cannot shoot after moving at Dash speed, so use these to reposition quickly when you don’t plan on shooting.

Moving Through TerrainEach time your tank moves across difficult going terrain take a cross test. To do this roll a die and equal or exceed your tank’s Cross number. If you pass, move as normal. If you fail, your tank stops when it reaches the terrain and become bogged down. A bogged down Tank Team cannot move, shoot, or assault until its next turn, when it automatically frees itself and can move as normal.

No Movement Through BuildingsTanks can’t move through buildings—they must go around them

Find the full movement rules in Fate Of A Nation book on page 28

Shooting StepWhen you shoot with one of your tanks, do the following:

1. Check Line Of Sight & RangeA tank can only shoot at a target if it can see it. A player must be able trace an imaginary line of sight from the shooting tank to the target tank. If the target is completely hidden behind a building or one of your friendly tanks, you cannot shoot at it.

Also, a tank can only shoot at a target that is within its weapon’s range (as shown on the weapon’s stat line).

2. Check For ConcealmentOnce you have chosen a target that you can draw a line of sight to and that is in range, check whether the tank is concealed (and thus harder to hit). It is concealed if:

it is behind a rock wall, or

it is more than half hidden by a building.

it is more than half hidden by a building.

3. Roll To HitSince this game only includes tanks, don’t worry about artillery or MG weapons—you’ll just be using your tank’s main gun, the one with the highest Anti-tank rating.

If your tank did not move, you roll the number of dice given by its Halted ROF (Rate of Fire) value. If your tank moved at Tactical speed, you roll the number of dice given by its Moving ROF value. If it moved at one of its Dash speeds, it cannot shoot.

The score you need to hit is the target’s Is Hit On number, so the Magach 6 above is hit on a roll of 4 or more.

Concealed tanks are harder to hit. Add +1 to the score needed to hit them. For example, if a Magach 6 is concealed, you’ll need to roll 5+ to hit it.

ACCURATE OR GUIDEDSome weapons are fitted with additional technology that makes them more accurate over long distance. Weapons with the Accurate or Guided rule do not add the +1 to hit for being over 16”/40cm from their target. Accurate only applies if the shooting tank has not moved this turn

Find the full shooting rules in Fate Of A Nation on page 36

4. Opponent Rolls SavesWhen a tank is hit, there is a chance its armour might protect it. The owning player rolls a die for each hit, adds their tank’s Front or Side Amour number, and if the range over 16”/40cm an additional +1 to the armour value, and then compares it to the shooting tank’s Anti-tank rating.

If the Save roll plus the Armour number is less than the Anti-tank number, the shooting player rolls another die and compares it to their tank’s Firepower number.

If the score matches or beats the Firepower number, the target tank is destroyed.

If it is less than the Firepower number, the target tank is bailed out.

If the Save roll plus the Armour number exactly equals the Anti-tank rating, the shooting player rolls another die and compares it to their tank’s Firepower number.

If the score matches or beats the Firepower number, the target tank is bailed out

If it is less than the Firepower number, nothing happens.

If the Save roll plus the Armour number is higher than the Anti-tank rating, the tank’s amour has saved it and nothing happens.

FRONT OR SIDE ARMOUR?Use the target tank’s Front Armour number if the shooting tank is in front of a line drawn across the front of the target tank’s hull, roll a dice. On the score of a 4+ the shot will hit the turret and use the Front Armour number. Otherwise use the Side Armour number as the shot has hit the hull.

DESTROYED TANKSIf a tank is destroyed, remove its turret to indicate that the tank is destroyed. A destroyed tank provides concealment like a rock wall.

BAILED OUT TANKSIf your tank is bailed out, mark it with a bailed out token. It cannot move or shoot until you manage to remount it in the Starting Step of one of your future turns.

If your bailed-out tank takes another hit that results in it being bailed out again, instead of placing another bailed out token on it, you immediately roll a die.

If the score matches or beats your Remount number your tank remains bailed out but suffers no further penalty.

If it is less, the tank is destroyed.

Ending Your TurnAfter the Shooting Step, you would normally move on to the Assault Step, where your troops charge in to the enemy positions and finish the fight with bloody hand-to-hand combat.

For the basic game though, this is where your turn ends and your opponent’s turn begins.

Starting StepIn the Starting Step at the beginning of your turn, you will check your troops’ morale and attempt to rally any that are faltering.

In addition, all bogged down vehicles free themselves and can move as normal this turn. In the basic game, you only need to worry about remounting any bailed-out tanks.

If you have any bailed-out tanks, roll a die for each of them.

If the score matches or beats your Remount number, remove the bailed-out token. The tank can now move and shoot as normal again.

If it is less, the tank remains bailed out.

What’s Next?Once you’ve played a few games and have a solid grasp of the rules you might find yourself wanting to expand your force with infantry, artillery, aircraft, or even a second unit of tanks! Fate Of A Nation has rules that cover all of this, and more. A great place to start expanding your Fate Of Nation Force would be our army deals. You could expand your Israeli Magach 6 Tank Company with an extra platoon of tanks and some artillery support. You could expand your Egyptians or Syrians since they both used the T-62 or you could even start your Jordanians who used Centurion tanks. This is only scratching the surface with the wealth of options offered in the full Fate Of A Nation book.

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